If you only want ONE bike to rule them all, what is the best choice for being comfortable and having fun too? A gravel bike or an Endurance bike? Let me explain.
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41 Comments
The strap on SKS mud guards are great for bikes without mud guard mounts.
I like a short reach, high stack and frame able to fit 50mm tires with drop bars … not sure how it's called 😉
Why choose one if you can try them all 😎💪
I used a cyclocross bike as a do it all bike. Last year I upgraded to a Specialized Roubaix SL8. Great for comfortable but fast club rides. And in the winter with Pirelli P zero's 40mm's (+mudguards) it's incredable.
I also have a wheelset (yes, third wheelset for the smae bike) with gravel terreno tires. But those rarely get any use.
Got a bike fit -> Ordered a custom Scapada frameset from Massacan.
Custom frameset for the same money as their stock bikes.
as an 100% roadie im with an endurance bike using 32mm or 38mm tire on it thats all i need
Endurance for me, but I don’t have any gravel paths I have to ride, just smooth concrete and roads. If I did, 100% gravel bike. They’re similar enough where the only thing that reeeeally matters is the riding surface.
If you do go with a gravel bike as a one bike, get a bigger front chainring.
I think thats an important point. Geometry is not similar. Speaking Trek Checkpoint very long reach, now their Checkmate has that geometry instead. Domane is one of the shortest reach on the market and angled step toptube on all generations of the SL.
Saying Gravelbike or Endurance bike won't get you anything closer to the bike you need. Its a waste of time. Focus on the bike you need instead tire clearence anything. For how long has discbrakes been out on roadbikes/gravelbikes. DIscbrakes was the thing that made it possible with wider tires.
If you ride very uneven tarmac roads a tire like P Zero Race 40mm that will even measure wider on the wheel, guys you don't need more then that. And you still have 12mm clearence on your bike. And no its not a gravilbike.
Focus on geometry. And dont pay any attention if its a gravelbike or not or is or whatever , its shitty trends. If you do you might already bypassed 5 of the bikes you really was aiming for. Maybe a cyclocross maybe endurance. Bikefit is everything and Gravel bike says nothing about geometry it maybe tells about wheelbase or its just rebranded Spezi cyclocross bike that got a ancestor.
Wider handlebars should all come with a proportional flare, that way the levers align with the flare of the drops.
Have you ever done a fit for anyone who's had Cauda Equina Syndrome?
Don’t do AI it just makes you look stupid.
The plastic pieces of shit, a.k.a SKS speedrockers kept me well protected from mud and snow during the finnish winter 🙂
Where do allroad bikes fit in here
Time Fluidity incoming. 40mm clearance for safety measures… but for now planned with gp5000 as tr 35s.
Is there a conersation about gravel bikes with a flat bar?
2025 Specializec Crux with Road bars, 40mm P Zero Race Road Tires and 1×13 (46T-10/46) for all road. Also, I have a second wheelset with gravel tires ready to go!
I’ve never met a Moots owner who didn’t love the bike.
Giant Defy Adv for me. Great balance of road/gravel fit for excellent road speeds and light gravel excursions. *need to swap handlebars to 40mm on the ML tho.
It would be if t had a mechanical load out
Great video, tragic thumbnail 🤝
I was contemplating this very thing and my decision was between the X and Grevil from 2024 – the geometry is not hugely different between the 2 either.. I chose the Grevil because I can remember MANY times where the roads became too rough for road tires but none where gravel tires limited my riding. Set up with Terra Speed tires and i am still averaging ~30kph on he roads. PS thanks for the past vids on sizing as they helped me choose the correct size – SOOOOO comfortable !
I wouldn't buy a new Road bike that didn't have clearance for 40mm tires.
I wouldn't buy a new Gravel bike that didn't have clearance for 57mm/2.25 tires.
I ended up purchasing a gravel bike because of the more relaxed geometry compared to a road bike but also being able to fit large tires means that I’ll be able rip around on the god awful roads of Chicago with a lot less worry.
OK just to annoy you I have a Ribble Endurance TI. It's not an endurance bike, changed the bar, stem and saddle it is comfy now and a great bike. Also I have a Spa Cycles Elan MK2 in titanium. A general purpose or light tourer, sometimes called an Audacs. Will take chunky tyres but has full guards and a Carradice on the back. It's like riding on glass, I could gravel the thing at a push. I'm 56 and I still love the Ribble but the Spa is smoother.
Both, if you're into performance riding. Would you take your sports car on a gravel road just because you can change its wheels? Buy a gravel bike, change wheelsets and you'll always be slightly disappointed, but never without a ride.
57mm Thunder Burts on my Salsa Cutthroat, just spent 8.5 hours in the saddle today with a fair bit of aggressive off road. Every time I think it would be nice to have something sleeker/faster I wonder if I'd use it that much, as this is so comfy and it's fast enough. 1x XT Di2 has all the gears I need and something that is nice is it's much easier to clean! I can actually get into that horrible area around the BB! I also have some minimal flare, which I do like (Pro discover shallow reach)
Hey! What about the good old cyclocross bikes? Those not meant for all-out racing? Like the budget versions. They tick most of your boxes!
Unless you are racing crits or competitive road races, get a gravel bike.
1 bike should be a Gravel bike with 3 sets of wheels. 65mm carbon with road slicks, 40mm carbon with file tread (tubeless) & lastly an alloy rim with a good chunky tread & low pressure (tubeless)…. Though 7+ bikes & 10+ wheelsets works just as well… 😂
I forget if it was specialized or trek, but for a moment one of them had their endurance bike like 1/2-1° slacker hta than their gravel bike all their sponsored athletes were on. Was an interesting choice & not sure why they did that. I'm an odd ball & ride a custom-built gravel bike that can specifically fit 29×2.4 tires setup 2x. The frame builder suggested Raceface Turbine with Easton 2x 46/30 chainrings paired to GRX which has worked great for me.
I switched from a road bike GIANT SLR TLC to a Merida 6000 Scuderia Endurance bike. Basically it was a massive culture shock. Initially because the geometry was different, the Merida is a 2025 bike with electronic gears and disc brakes. The Giant is a 2013 bike with Shimano Dura Ace group set, cranks and wheels. So at 65 they said get an Endurance bike because you and your road bike are old. I am on the Merida now and to my horror I have found that the drive chain is way, way too easy to push. I am doing recovery laps in the park and I have never dropped off the big ring, and this is someone being totally unfit. Maybe hills will make the difference but tell people about the power ratios between different types of bikes. Since getting back on in April the big three cogs on the rear cluster have no sign of use, because they are too light.
In regards to the park, the road is undulating with long 2 -3% climbs and descents.
How about an all road bike with room for 42mm tires
Thanks for the video
Nice video – agree totally on the wanky WIDE, flared bars. Stupid idea for 99.9% of the riding you'll do on a gravel bike. 40-42 with a tiny flare, maybe.
Gravel bike, but with 44 handlebar while my shoulders are measured 48, since you also told us in an older vid wider ego handlebars are just not good 😛 LOVE your energy missed bein back into cycklin! so i cant watch your vids lol! 😀
"On board storage": Manufacturer provided pre-crack stress point on carbon bikes.
Not orientated. Oriented!
I am with you, I hate the wide bars or lots of flair. I stick to my normal road bars and have never had any issues on my gravel bikes. I ditched a bunch of bikes over the last couple of years built up two gravel bikes. One I strictly use for road with light off road, the other I have much wider tires and strictly sketchier gravel tracks. It's been a game changer for me. Both SRAM 13 speed XPLR one with a 50T, the other with a 44T up front. I have a spare wheelset that will work on either bike without having to move calipers and I can run specific tires for random needs if I want. I have some Pirelli P Zero's in 40mm for bike trips, or if I need some tires for heavier gravel, I put on some 50's with a more knobbily profile and I do not have to unseat my primary wheel tires. I got rid of of 6 bikes when I made the shift to these build outs and have not looked back. It has made my bike life so much easier to deal with.
Rather have a Moots than a gay-ass carbon bike.